Friday, January 1st, 2010

Taco Bell is pitching their “Fresco” options as way to lose weight, with their Drive-Thru Diet. When Subway did this, I bought it. It’s easy to make an unhealthy sandwich at Subway, but done right, a sandwich can be healthy.

But Taco Bell? My god, that stuff is (semi-)edible death. The article’s worth a read, but here are some choice quotes”

“This is preposterous. This is the same Taco Bell that has the Volcano Nachos (almost 1,000 calories), that boasts about the 1/2 pound cheesy potato burrito, that has systematically encouraged people to eat between meals with their 4th meal campaign,” said Kelly D. Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University.

Preposterous is a well-used word here.

Her taco bell trips were part of a larger effort to cut calories down to 1250 a day.

This is part of the ad’s disclaimer. None of those interviewed seem to mention this, so perhaps I’m off-base, but 1250 calories a day does not seem healthy. That’s just 63% of the recommended intake.

The Taco Bell Drive-Thru Diet shouldn’t be considered a diet.

This too is from the disclaimer on the ad. Come on! It’s got “diet” right in the name!

Carey, who is also a sports nutritionist with the NBA alongside her work with Taco Bell, agreed that the salt content was high.

Oh, yeah, there’s the sports nutritionist I trust. The one who works for Taco Bell.

Honestly, you really have to see this ad to believe it. It could easily be a bit from Saturday Night Live, so let me reiterate. Though it may be a joke, Taco Bell’s Drive-Thru Diet is not a parody.